Old and New Problems
by batman-defeats-all
Summary: Robin is determined to ignore any and all issues involving his ex-mentor; including the discovery of a replacement Robin in Gotham. However, this is soon no longer an option when the city's worst psycho decides to visit Jump City, forcing Robin to ask for Batman's help. Even if that means dealing with an obnoxious kid in his costume. Slight RobStar
1. Prologue

**I've been meaning to write for Teen Titans for ages. However, I never had an idea.**

**Now I do.  
**

**I do not own Teen Titans.  
**

Robin had a tendency to be stubborn sometimes. This being so, he left Gotham with the intention of not contacting his now ex-mentor ever again. Even though his heart leaped into his throat anytime the news reported a serious incident involving Arkham breakouts, he never called to make sure Bruce was okay. While this made his conscious scream at him in anger, he ignored the letters sent by Alfred that talked about how much both he and Bruce missed him.

However, he did still keep up with Gotham news, just in case something so big would come up that would force him to break his silent pledge and return to the dark city. It was while checking the news website of his old home did Robin see an article that awakened a cold fury inside him.

There was a photo of a young boy, about twelve or thirteen, standing next to Batman with a snarky smirk. However, what first caught Robin's attention was not the boy himself.

It was the costume said child was wearing; his.

Glancing up at the headline to the article, the leader felt his blood boil.

**Batman Takes on New Protégé **

The title explained everything Robin needed to know. Despite this fact, he still started to trawl through the article itself;

_One year ago, Robin, the sidekick to Gotham's infamous vigilante Batman, mysteriously disappeared from the town. Only weeks later he reappeared in Jump City, California as the leader of a team of young heroes called the Teen Titans. At any and all Justice League press conferences, Batman had refused to answer any questions about his opinion on his ex-protégé's new role in the hero community. At the time, everyone assumed he did not want to even think about his absent partner._

_ Today, however, a discovery was made that counteracts this theory completely. When Two-Face attempted a break-in at the Second National Bank of Gotham, he, as well as any civilians inside the building, was shocked to see not only Batman, but a young boy wearing a Robin costume stop the fiend. Luckily, Gotham Gazette reporter Vickie Vale was near the scene of the crime and was able to get the scoop on the new Dynamic Duo, including a photo of the triumphant pair after the crime was stopped._

_ The true question is, is this new Robin ready for the world of crime-fighting? Or is he merely a pawn being controlled by a cape-wearing player?_

The article was short and to the point. It explained what Robin had feared would happen.

That Bruce really had never cared for him; he was quick to find both a replacement for his spot as Robin, and as Bruce's son.

It was as he was fiercely glaring at the photo of said replacement that a gentle knock was heard at his door.

"Friend Robin? We were wondering if you would like to join us for the eating of pizza."

Looking away from the screen of his laptop, Robin soon answered.

"I'll be there in a sec, Star."

The computer was soon shut down, and abandoned on a paper-cluttered table top as the young hero went off to enjoy time with his team. Surely this would take his mind off the issues in Gotham.

What he didn't know was that if he had stayed on the website just a little while longer, he would have seen the article about the Joker's most recent breakout.

Maybe then Robin wouldn't have been as surprised when the world he tried to escape came to him.

**Short, but this is merely the prologue. It is allowed to be short.**

**Also, before anyone asks; the new Robin is not Tim Drake. He is Robin #3. I'm doing the ACTUAL second Robin for this story...  
**

**Please review!  
**


	2. Chapter One: Problems involving Clowns

**Before we start, I want to respond to the couple anonymous reviews:**

**robgray 1: I'm glad you found it interesting so far. However... I do not mean to sound rude, but could you keep the anti-Jason rants to a minimum? I actually really like his character. It is your opinion, but there are many things that DC have done that are much worse than creating Jay (Such as killing off Lian Harper, changing Harley Quinn's costume, breaking up Dick and Kory, the list can go on for ages). I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far, though.**

**M. N: Here is the next chapter! This is going to be a continuous story, so there will be many more to come. Also, since you've actually reviewed quite a few of my stories... I do believe by now you've realized I enjoy writing for Jason. A lot... He's fun to write with.**

**Now, to the chapter!  
**

**I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.  
**

Robin was not sure if agreeing to go get pizza with the other Titans had been the best idea.

Sure, it was a way to get his mind off the little situation in Gotham, and he had been starving at the time. There was only one problem with going out with his friends on a Friday night.

Starfire would realize there were many sales at the mall, and drag the whole team into the shopping building.

Not fun for a slightly anti-social teenager boy. As they walked through the mall, he felt the gazes of civilian girls of about his age. Glancing at two friends that was walking past him, he noticed them looking hungrily at his chest and... lower area.

He really hated leaving the tower. This happened every. Freaking. Time. As his secret identity, though, there was possibly even more perverted glances at him. That was what he got for being the son of a millionaire, though...

No. He would not, could not, think about Bruce right now.

With the thought of his ex-mentor banished from his mind, Robin turned towards Starfire, expecting to see the alien princess's bright, smiling face that always cheered him up.

Instead, he saw bright green eyes widened in terror. Looking at the other Titans, the expressions were all similar. He just had no idea why.

That is, he had no idea why until the chilling sound of all too familiar laughter reached Robin's ears, making his whole body stiffen in instinct. It couldn't be... That maniac had no business in Jump, he was a Gotham rogue. There had to be some sort of mistake.

"Oh Bird Boy! Why don't you turn and see your dear old Uncle J?"

No longer being able to avoid the inevitable, the young hero turned. What met his masked eyes upon turning towards the voice was none other than the wicked, cruel, psychotic being known as the Joker.

Absolutely _brilliant._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LINE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gotham was by no means a nice place to live. It was filthy, crime-ridden, and corrupt to a depressing level.

Jason Todd didn't mind it all that much; it was very possibly the worst place on the world, but it was home.

A home that just recently taken a huge turn on him. Six months ago, he had been living out on the streets, just another Gotham orphaned street rat. Nothing really special, a common sight in the dark city. Then he went and decided to steal the wheels of the Batmobile that was parked in Crime Alley. He couldn't help himself; they looked really expensive, and some spare money is always helpful when you're a twelve-year-old living alone on the streets.

Of course, he hadn't predicted Batman showing up while he was still getting the last wheel loose.

If he had any dreams of being a fortune teller, he abandoned them then (of course, he didn't. That would just be weird), because he would never had seen what happened next.

Batman pretty much kidnapped him, asked him if he would like to be Robin, and told him he was Bruce Wayne.

There was a lot in between that, of course, but they were not part of the big picture that Jason always tried to focus on. Anything other than that just wasted time.

Unless, of course, you were Bruce, and had to look at every little detail, and make sure it fit in. Then you'd have to look at every little detail of those original little details. It just kept going on and on until you were just plain confused.

Unless you were Bruce. Then somehow this all made sense.

Put simply, Jason had no idea how the hell Bruce did it. Even looking at the man's case notes made his brain hurt a little.

Which was why he preferred physical training far above the mental elements; couldn't he just punch the bad guys and not have to think about it?

Rolling his light blue eyes at his own thoughts, the boy opened up the grandfather clock and stepped onto the staircase leading down into the Bat Cave. Hearing Bruce on the computer down in the cave itself, Jason changed his slow walk into a dash down the stone steps. As he raced into the hide-out, the boy accidentally nearly knocked into Alfred, who barely was able to hold the silver platter as he regained his balance.

"Master Jason!"

"Sorry, Alfie!" Jason yelled over his shoulder as he stopped next to his mentor.

"So, anything interesting tonight?"

"The Joker broke out of Arkham again," Bruce said, his dark blue eyes not leaving the computer screen.

"So we should be expecting trouble in about five minutes?"

"Not quite. There was a note left on the outskirts of Gotham, written in red paint, with a Joker card directly next to it."

Jason rose a thin eyebrow.

"What did the note say?"

Bruce suddenly turned towards the boy, looking him in the eyes seriously.

"'Dear Batsy- With a new little birdy flying around, I think it's high time I pay the old one a visit from his good ol' Uncle J."

The boy blinked.

"Umm... What does that exactly mean?"

Bruce suddenly stood, pulling his cowl over his face.

"It means he's going to Jump City. Suit up and get into the jet."

With that, the man swept off, his cape billowing behind him, to the jet himself, leaving Jason to his thoughts.

After a moment of thought, it came together for the boy.

Original bird.

Original Robin.

Jump City.

"Joker's targeting Dick Grayson."

He was going to finally meet the seemingly flawless Saint Dick it seemed.

Absolutely _brilliant_.

**Okay, I will admit it now before anyone gets weirded out.**

**I freakishly adore Jason Todd.  
**

**Not as much as Dick Grayson. But close. Very close.  
**

**Now that is cleared up, please review!  
**


	3. Chapter Two: Little Angry Robins

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry it is a bit... short.**

**I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.  
**

As the new Dynamic Duo flew away from Gotham, Jason made a decision.

Riding in a high speed, specially made jet was not nearly as fun it sounded. At least, it wasn't if the only other person in the jet was Bruce, who was one of the least talkative guys ever.

Resting his chin on his gloved hand, the boy looked out the window at the passing clouds.

Bruce, noticing his ward's obvious boredom, smiled slightly.

"Bored?"

Underneath his mask, Jason rolled his eyes.

"Noooo. You are such interesting conversation, I couldn't possibly not be completely enthralled."

"... You do know your attempt to sound dignified while saying that was kind of ruined by the double negative."

"... Whatever."

As Jason started glaring out the windows, Bruce decided it was a good idea to fill his protégé in on the exact situation.

"As I already told you, we are going to Jump City."

"Mmmhmmm..."

"I think it might be best to tell you now that the reason the Joker will be there is because-"

"He's after the Golden Boy, and his team also, probably."

Bruce smiled again at the reasoning his ward had to have gone through to come up with this conclusion.

"Correct. Though calling the original Robin 'Golden Boy' is a bit much, don't you think?"

"No."

It was then that the older hero heard the bitterness in his young partner's voice. As he spoke again, he looked at Jason worriedly.

"Is there any reason why?"

The boy snorted, a firm scowl settling on his still small features.

"Well, just maybe you constantly talk about how freaking perfect he is. Also, I may have noticed that you get Jump City newspaper just to read any articles about him. Or-"

"Okay, you can stop now."

Jason looked at his mentor, annoyed.

"Guess I made my point?"

Sighing, Bruce answered.

"Yes, Robin. You realize I would do the same if you moved away?"

The boy turned towards the window again, mumbling under his breath. However, Bruce managed to hear two words that was enough to make him feel rather guilty.

"Doubt it."

As the skyline of Jump City approached, a giant T-shaped tower standing strikingly against the crystal blue sky, Batman sighed.

He was almost certain he would have to deal with two Robins that would both be very upset with him. _Amazing..._

~~~~~~~~~Dick and Jason are awesome~~~~~~~~~~~~Dick and Jason are awesome~~~~~~~

Though Robin's initial reaction was to be terrified of his worst nightmare somehow following him to his new home, his masked eyes soon narrowed in determination. He was the leader; if he didn't pull himself together, neither would the other Titans. If they were all just frozen in fear, there would be no chance for them to defeat the Joker.

The clown, however, noticed the terror that had quickly flashed through the Boy Wonder's face, and his already unnaturally large smile only widened.

"Ohh, did I surprise you, Robbie? Didn't know I was coming into town?"

The young hero reached for his bo staff as his team regained their senses around him. Soon not only he but all the Titans were in battle positions.

"What are you doing here, Joker?"

As the madman started laughing hysterically at something only he found funny, Starfire looked at Robin quizzically. Knowing that he would have to explain everything later, Robin ignored his girlfriend's expression, instead focusing on the psychotic who was supposed to be in Arkham in Gotham.

As the laughter died down, the Joker looked directly at the Boy Wonder, a look of pure evil in his red eyes.

"Well, Boy _Blunder_, I'm here... for you."

Suddenly, the smoke was beginning to cover the whole mall. Reacting quickly, Robin dashed towards where he saw the Joker, but once he made it there, the madman was gone. When the smoke cleared, the psychotic clown was gone.

Now fiercely determined, Robin walked towards the exit seriously, his teammates following close behind him.

"Dude, was that the Joker as in... _the_ Joker? The biggest bad like, ever?"

Looking at the slightly scared face of Beast Boy, Robin sighed.

"Yes, he was the Joker."

Cyborg snorted.

"No wonder he was cowardly enough to just escape with some smoke; only the real bad guys do that."

"We should just be glad it wasn't laughing gas! He wasn't ever planning to do anything today. He just wanted to send out a warning to... me," the leader explained to Cyborg, not looking back from his straight line towards the T-Car.

As they entered the vehicle and started driving towards their tower home, Starfire spoke out.

"I must ask, for everyone else seems to know, but who is this Joker man that has everyone so frightened? He looked terrifying, but why is he 'the biggest bad ever'?"

Robin opened his mouth to explain, despite the fact a migraine from the day's events was developing. However, Raven soon gave him a look, and turned to the alien girl to explain herself. Sitting back, grateful that the empath knew he was currently in pain, he looked up at their approaching home-

-Only to see the Batjet parked on the roof, with Bruce and the replacement Robin standing directly next to it.

This day could not possibly get worse.

**It'll pick up next chapter, I promise. Dick and Jason will meet each other; that upon itself will be awesome.**

**Please review!  
**


	4. Chapter Three: Interesting Conversations

**I'm sorry it's been a little while. I had a story I needed to write for Father's Day, and I had a few Young Justice ideas I couldn't let go of. But here is the new chapter!**

**Warning: While it is not actually said in the story (and never shall be), a very major swear is referenced in this chapter.  
**

**I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.  
**

As soon as the team entered the T-shaped tower, Robin started to storm towards the roof.

While the rest of the team followed him, and were bombarding the leader with questions about if he knew who the mysterious people on the roof were, and why he looked so angry, Robin ignored them. He was far to busy focusing on his white hot rage at Bruce.

Was he taking this out of proportion? Maybe a little, but he had every right to. Bruce freaking _replaced_ him with some kid he didn't even _know._ Well, at least he didn't think he knew him... He looked too old to be that Drake kid that lived a few blocks over back in Gotham, and that was really the only boy younger then him with black hair that he knew even slightly.

As he slammed open the door to the roof of the tower and saw the brat up close, he knew that he had never met this kid before. First off; he did not carry himself like a rich kid, who were really the only people he got to meet fully. Secondly; the new Robin looked about eleven or twelve, while little Timmy from down the road was about seven right now. To be honest, that was a dumb theory from the start...

As the young hero stomped towards his ex-mentor, he could here his friends speaking behind him.

"Whoa... Dude, is that Batman? As in _the_ Batman?"

"Who is this man of bats that makes Friend Beast Boy so excited?"

"Just one of the best heroes, like, ever!"

"Ohhh... Who is the boy dressed like Robin standing next to the man of bats?"

"Ummm... I don't know."

While Starfire and Beast Boy rattled on, Raven attempted to look uninterested and Cyborg was just sort of staring in wonder.

Soon, Robin was standing in front of Bruce, a fierce scowl present on his features.

"What the hell do you want?"

As the elder hero sighed, the replacement Robin looked rather surprised from his spot behind Batman.

"Robin, I would think you have noticed that the Joker is here?"

Though his body naturally stiffened slightly at the villain's name, he still managed to lash out.

"What about it? Also, I'm surprised I'm still 'Robin', considering you seemed to have found a replacement just fine, I'd think you would stop bothering to call me by an identity that now apparently belongs to someone else?"

Bruce realized Jason was angry at Dick's words a moment too late. The child was already running towards the original Robin with a fist brought back by the time the eldest hero even knew what was going on.

Luckily his reflexes were brilliant, or he might not have been able to have brought an arm up to quickly stop the charging Jason.

"I'm no replacement, Golden Boy! I'm way better than you!"

As the child struggled to get at the older bird, Dick looked at his old mentor oddly.

"You picked up some kid with rage issues? Who is this?"

Batman sighed again.

"Do you have somewhere private we can talk?"

Though he was glaring at the older man while doing so, Robin answered in a harsh voice.

"We can talk in my evidence room."

With that, Robin started to stomp off back to the staircase, with a silent Batman and grumbling Robin II following him. Soon, the Titans were alone on the roof.

"Dude... What just happened?"

Cyborg answered the shape-shifter with a mere shrug of his shoulders.

Meanwhile, down in Robin's evidence room, the original Boy Wonder glared at his ex-mentor with his arms crossed.

"Well?"

Sighing deeply, Bruce pulled of his cowl, revealing the tired face below.

"Dick, I realize you're upset, but if you'd let me explain-"

The teen responded with a slightly cruel laugh.

"Explain what? That I am worth so little to you that you thought you could just replace me with anyone you felt like?"

"N-no, Dick, that is not what I did-"

The young hero was already too far into his rant to be pulled out by Bruce's words.

"Or maybe you'd like to explain to me about why you fired me because I was too impulsive and being a hero was dangerous, yet you let some kid with obvious rage issues into _my costume_?"

The older hero winced at his old partner's words.

"... The way you say it makes it sound really bad..."

Underneath his mask, Dick's right eye twitched slightly.

"Guess what, Bruce? Maybe that's because IT REALLY IS PRETTY BAD!"

As this argument went on, Jason leaned against the wall, his head turning towards Bruce, then Dick, then Bruce, then Dick, watching the fight bounce back and forth between the two.

He still wasn't sure if he should be severely annoyed by the insults sent indirectly at himself, or just amused at seeing someone other than Alfred make Bruce feel guilty.

After a moment, he decided to be angry.

"I do not have rage issues!"

Both older heroes suddenly turned to the boy, obviously having forgotten he was even there. Bruce took a step towards him hesitantly, glancing back to make sure the original Robin did not lash out again while he quickly spoke to the boy.

"Jason... You have gotten detention three times in the past week."

"So? That doesn't mean I can't control my anger."

Bruce sighed slightly before answering.

"The first one was for talking back to the lunch lady, the second for starting a fight, and the third for giving the finger to your English teacher."

"... The lunch lady's evil, the kid was saying I'm just a charity case, and... I just really don't like that teacher."

As Bruce looked at his partner helplessly, Dick took a step forward.

"So, your name is Jason?"

The boy glared slightly at the teen as he answered.

"Yeah..."

A tight, obviously fake, smile resided on Dick's face as he turned back towards Bruce.

"Hey, Bruce? I kind of left my team on the roof without explaining anything. Could you go tell them what's going on while I get to know.. Jason?"

Batman could see the logic in going to talk to Dick's team, though he could also see the manipulating that his oldest son was pulling off.

He may have trained that boy just a bit too well...

The man nodded hesitantly, pulling his cowl back over his face, hiding his identity. As he slowly walked out the door, he saw the fake smile on Dick's face quickly vanish, replaced by a fierce scowl.

This would not end well...

As the door closed, Jason looked around at the papers hanging on the wall.

"Heh, looks like Bruce's evidence area... Hey, who's 'Slade'?"

As the boy asked the question, he held up a newspaper clipping attached to the wall directly next to him.

"It does not look anything like where Bruce investigates his evidence, and put that down!"

"But who is he?"

"Slade-eh- none of your business!"

A mischievous smirk grew on Jason's features suddenly.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Dick suddenly chocked on merely the air, he was so surprised.

"Wha-what-how... What the hell?"

The smirk merely grew on Jason's face.

"You heard me. There's pictures of this dude all over the room, and you wouldn't tell me who he is. Therefore, the only logical explanation is that he is your boyfriend."

"No it is not! Anyway, I have a girlfriend!"

"So? Maybe you are trying to hide your secret relationship."

"HE FREAKING BLACKMAILED ME WITH THE LIVES OF MY FRIENDS TO BE HIS FREAKING APPRENTICE!"

"You know you enjoyed it."

For a moment, Dick just stared at the very satisfied Jason with a mixed expression of anger, embarrassment, and just plain horror.

Then he suddenly stomped out of the room and towards where Batman was about to brief the rest of the Titans.

Needless to say, Bruce was not completely surprised his first partner came out of a room where he was alone with Jason looking like he wished to stab something, preferably the boy himself.

What did surprise him was that Dick had even lasted the about two minutes they were alone.

"I FREAKING HATE THAT KID!"

… Admittedly, Bruce had not expected much better than this. He was kind of hoping Jason would hold back at least a little..

Then the child's voice floated down the hallway.

"Robin likes Sl-ade."

As the Titans looked at the approaching boy, who looked far too pleased with himself, in pure horror, Bruce nearly let his face fall into his palm.

Jason would never hold back. AKA, this would be a long trip.

**The conversation with Dick and Jason... Wrote itself.**

**Because Jason would totally do that.  
**

**Please review!  
**


	5. Chapter 4: Clown Couples and Flips

**Hey, anyone remember this story? Well, I do! Here's a long-overdue update!**

**I do not own Teen Titans or Batman. Not even Dick and Jason... *Cries*  
**

The Joker happily strolled into the makeshift Jump City base, not even flinching when Harley Quinn nearly threw herself on him.

"How'd it go, Mr. J?"

The clown smiled charmingly at her, making the woman giggle girlishly, before he answered, swing her around a bit while he did so.

"The Birdy Boy has changed a whooole lot, but he is totally still a bucket of fun! His little super-powered friends looked like drags, though... But who knows? They could still be of some entertainment yet!"

While the clown couple spoke, one goon hesitantly approached them.

"Ummm... Mr. Joker?"

The two stopped swinging, and the Joker's grin changed to a fierce scowl.

"What? Can't you see I'm a bit busy right now?" he snapped, motioning to Harley, who was pouting childishly at having their time interrupted.

"You... may want to see these." A pile of photos were being held in the thug's hand. Joker snatched them up, still scowling. As he shifted through the pictures, his eyes widened and were soon filled with pure hatred.

Eventually, he slapped the pile on a nearby table, an extremely tight, forced smile on his face. His eyes were fixated at the top photo, which lead to Harley looking over his shoulder to see it. She gasped at the sight.

The photo was of the original Robin, Batman, and the new Robin standing together, on top of Titans Tower.

"The Bat Brat is teaming up with his daddy and replacement, huh?" he snarled out. "Well, that's not fair game! Why, poor Harl and I will be up against those three and the other kiddies? Not fair at all!" Now pacing, the clown's acid green eyebrows were set in thought.

"Maybe we could get some help..." Harley suggested hesitantly, her hand slowly reaching for his arm.

"Who? Those HIVE brats? That Dr. Light guy? Sladey?" he paused at the name. "Heh, after we tried teaming up a few years ago, I reallly think he'd rather kill me than even stand five feet from me... I didn't _mean_ to blow up his house! I guess I may be why he moved to this city..." Now noticing Harley's hand, he quickly swatted it away.

The clown continued pacing, until he suddenly stopped, his eyes wide and sparkling with wicked glee.

"Ohhh, I know _exactly _how to even the score!" he cackled maniacally.

"How, Mr. J?"

The smile was back, and completely genuine, while he answered. Of course, for him, a genuine smile was anything but a good thing.

"Why, there is two of us! So there should only be two of them fighting us!"

While he started skipping around the room, plotting silently and moving things around excitably, Harley looked confused.

"... How we're gonna do that, puddin'?"

The clown glanced at her, exasperated and annoyed.

"Why, we separate them from the others, of course! Really, Harl, you should work a bit harder on this!"

"Of course, Mr. J!" she squeaked out. "But... who are we separating from the others?"

"Well, I'd say the two little birdies need to get to know each other! They are practically brothers now! Plus, the little one hasn't even met his Uncle J yet! We can't have that, can we, sweetums?"

A cruel grin unfurled on Harley's face.

"Nope, we can't, Puddin',"

~~~~~~Line break~~~~~

Robin scowled at the boy following him. Of course the kid had to annoy Batman enough while he was trying to study a map of Jump that the older hero had practically begged his ex-sidekick to show Jason around the Tower.

The only reason he agreed to do it was because he wanted to get the kid to stop eying Starfire.

As they reached the training room, Jason glanced around before speaking suddenly.

"So... What do you use in here?"

Robin was actually rather taken aback by the random question.

"Well... I use the punching bag..."

The scoff he received in response truly annoyed him.

"That's it? Aren't you an acrobat or something?"

Robin considered if showing Jason something he hadn't even actually showed his teammates yet was a wise idea.

His mind was made up when he realized he _really _wanted to knock the boy' cockiness down a few knobs. So, a smirk slowly growing, he answered as he headed towards a door in the back of the room.

"I do have... _this_ also..."

When he opened the door to reveal a large trapeze area, he was very pleased to see Jason's eyes widen a bit underneath his mask.

"... Can I see you use it?"

Robin admittedly did not expect that.

"... Sure."

Robin didn't even bother setting up the net lying in the corner of the room as he climbed the ladder, reaching the first platform. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handle of the first swing. Closing his eyes, he jumped off the base, and instantly felt at home. The air was his home, high above all others, where he could soar free. He had to control himself from laughing happily as he released the swing, flipping a few times gracefully, only to reach the other swing in far too short a time, and land back on the platform far too soon.

He mitigated this by just grabbing hold of the swing again, continuing in his sky dance for another good ten minutes. As he soared, he had no way to see the boy standing below, who was usually so uninterested in everything, usually so reserved, have his eyes wide in pure wonder.

However, he did see it there when he approached the ground again, only to see it flicker away in seconds.

"That was okay," he said quietly, trying to hide his amazement.

"Thanks," Dick replied, studying the boy.

"Do you... do you think that you could help me with flips a bit? Bats says I really need to work on them, and you seem to have it down..."

Dick was not sure how to respond to the request. This was the boy that he had openly disliked ever since he had even heard about him. The boy that had taken his place as Bruce's partner... and very possibly his place as the man's son.

But he knew what it felt like to have Bruce expecting more than what he could do; there was no way he was leaving some other kid in that position.

"Sure. I'll set up the net."

"You didn't use one!"

"I was trained not to use a net. Also..."

"Yeah?"

"Bruce would _kill_ me if you got hurt."

Jason laughed at the comment as Dick put the net into place.

"Okay, climb up the ladder."

Jason scampered up the ladder, then stood there, his arms crossed, as he waited for his next instruction.

"Now, grab the handle, and swing off. Let go when it reaches its peak. To do a flip, just tuck in your legs and let your body move with momentum. When you reach the other swing, grab it and go to the other platform."

Jason clutched the swing, his eyes narrowed in determination. Soon he jumped, letting gravity move him forward. When he reached the very peak of the swing, he let go.

Dick couldn't help but hold his breath when Jason started a flip.

Only for it to melt into a large smile when the boy completed the flip perfectly.

He winced, however, when Jason's hands slipped on the second swing and started descending towards the net.

Pushing away rather... unpleasant flashbacks, Robin put a (admittedly rather fake) smug smile as he approached the swearing Jason who was struggling to pull himself out of the net.

"Glad you had the net know, huh?"

Jason ignored the comment, instead walking back to the ladder.

"I'm trying again."

"Why? You did the flip perfectly."

"I need to do the _whole thing_ perfectly."

Robin rolled his eyes at the attitude Jason held. He couldn't really judge the boy, though, since he had often, and still did occasionally, acted in a such a manner.

"Alright, let's go through this again, then."


	6. Chapter Five: Fun at the Zoo

**Bwaaa, not my best... The next chapter should be better...**

**I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.  
**

Jason pulled himself out of the net yet again.

"Okay, how the hell do you grab that damn swing?"

The boy was flushed in embarrassment and annoyance. His teeth were clenched and his cape was starting to fall off his shoulders.

Dick, however, was by this point barely able to even watch Jason practice. The blood had rushed from his face many tries before, and it had not yet returned.

"It just... comes naturally. Maybe you should take a break-"

"But I have to get this-"

"Robin and... Robin." Dick froze when he heard his ex-mentor's voice call out. Jason, however, just straightened his cape and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, boss?"

"There have been sightings of the Joker at the city zoo. Are the Titans prepared enough to fight him?" He turned towards Dick as he asked the question, making the teen stop to think. One part of him wanted to say that the clown was far too dangerous; another part was reminding him they had dealt with, quite literally, the end of the world.

"Yeah, they should be."

"We should head out, then."

Dick rushed out of the exercise room to where his team waited.

"Come on, team!" As they headed towards the garage, he saw Bruce and Jason run back to the roof to get into the Batjet.

… He kind of missed the Batjet. Everything always looked so nice from above...

As the Titans started piling into the T-Car, Beast Boy suddenly spoke up.

"Whoa, wait a second. Are we really going to go fight... the Joker?"

Robin ignored the slight tinge of fear that just the name triggered.

"Yes, and I want you all to be careful. He is extremely dangerous-"

"Robin?" Starfire interrupted, a worried tone in her voice.

"... Yeah, Star?"

"While the Man of Bats explained that this clown is dangerous, he did not explain just why you seem so scared of him. Why is that? I understand that he looked frightful, but you usually are not bothered by such things..."

Why he was so scared of the Joker? Well, he wished that wicked grin didn't fill him with cold terror... However, nothing the psychotic had ever done had mitigated the fear... Only caused it to grow...

"... The Joker has some weird obsession with Batman. I was the kid who hung out with the Bat. Obviously, that made... a target for him... Constantly..."

He quickly looked away, trying to ward away memories of past experiences with the Joker...

_The young boy pulled into himself, clutching his knees tightly, as the kicks just kept coming._

_ "__Why don't you sing, little birdy?"_

_ The clown bent down, lifting Robin's head off the cold concrete by his blood__-soaked raven hair._

_ "Isn't your Uncle Joker more fun than ol' Harv was?"_

_ When there was no answer, he pushed the child's face back into the rough ground._

Starfire's eyes widened.

"He... He hurt you?"

_He couldn't stop the laughter from forcing itself from his diaphragm._

_ "That's how you laugh it up, birdy!"_

"... Yeah. He's... he's hurt me before."

_The Joker stuck his tongue out in concentration as he held Robin's hand tightly, smiling morbidly at the pained screams from the boy, his knife carving on the soft skin and into the tender flesh of the back of the hand._

_ "You'll have a reminder of your dear Uncle J wherever you go, Bird Boy! Won't that be nice?"_

"... How much?"

Robin rubbed the back of his gloved right hand awkwardly.

"... Enough that I take him seriously. And you all should too."

Each Titan nodded seriously.

Soon, they arrived at the zoo, and they jumped out of the car, seeing the Batjet landing nearby.

"Robin," Batman called out as soon as he exited the plane, Jason trailing behind him. "May I have a word with you?"

The other teen heroes waited nearby as Robin stalked over to Bruce's side, a light scowl present.

"What?" he snapped.

"You probably have realized that the Joker is here for you..."

"Of course."

"Well... You should just be careful. You know how dangerous he can be..."

"Why, Batsy, I'm flattered you think you highly of me!"

The original Dynamic Duo both looked surprised for just a second, but in seconds batarangs and a bo staff were pulled out and readied. Turning towards where the voice came from, they saw the Joker hanging upside down from the entrance sign to the zoo.

"You're here with your new birdy to visit your old one, I see! How adorable, a Bat-family reunion! Have the boys had much time together yet? They should get used to it, since their nearly brothers now!"

When no one responded to him, the Joker pouted childishly.

"Well, Batsy, I came here to see the first Boy Blunder, and you can't stop me! Though I'm perfectly fine with _two_ Bat Brats to play with!"

Jason narrowed his masked eyes, his batarangs clenched in his hands stiffly.

"I'd like to see you try, clown!"

Joker seemed shocked at the response, then laughed.

"Oh, he's a fiery one! This will be even more fun than I thought! Harley!"

With his call, the jest cartwheeled out of the nearby bushes, before moving into a flip directly next to the Titans.

"Take care of those other kiddies for me, okay sweetums?"

"Right away, Puddin'!" she yelled in response, before pulling out a large hammer from seemingly nowhere and proceeding to attack the unwitting Titans with the weapon.

The Joker jumped from his spot at the sign, laughing as he descended.

"Come and get me, Bat and Birds!"

With that, he dashed into the zoo, still cackling, with all three Gothamites at his tail.

"Wowee! It seems little ol' me just can't escape!" The Joker giggled out in the pursuit. "Guess I'll just have to find a better hiding place!"

With that, he quickly turned into small animals building, Batman and the Robins still behind him.

"Hey, kiddies, look at the cute animals!" When there was, yet again, no response, the grin faded a little. "Huh, tough crowd. You're all being _sooooo_ boring! Maybe seeing the animals of the night will cheer you up!"

Turning into that very area, Batman found himself behind the younger heroes. While this did not bother him at first, cold fear hit him when he realized the area was in complete darkness.

This fear solidified more when he suddenly heard two thumps.

"Robins?" he called out hesitantly. No answer.

Now pulling out a light, he shined it around the area. While some animals in their containments shied away, nothing else was there.

Now running back into the sunlight of the main zoo, he saw Harley jumping into a purple car, the clown driving, with two clearly unconscious Robins in the backseat. The Titans were all in various states of injury, some even knocked out.

Put simply, this was not good at all.


End file.
